John Kennedy: Big Banks Trampling on Second Amendment

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. pointed out that both Bank of America and Citigroup now have policies that place restrictions on what their business banking clients can sell and manufacture when it comes to firearms (Eicollection/Dreamstime)

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., argued in a new opinion piece that big banks are threatening to violate Americans' Second Amendment rights.

Writing for Fox News, Kennedy pointed out that both Bank of America and Citigroup now have policies that place restrictions on what their business banking clients can sell and manufacture when it comes to firearms.

"Grocery stores might decide not to sell liquor or lottery tickets, even though it's legal for people of a certain age to buy them. Grocery stores might ask customers to leave their firearms at home," Kennedy wrote.

"But banks are not grocery stores. A grocery store doesn't need a taxpayer-funded government charter to operate, a taxpayer-funded government corporation (the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) to insure its deposits, or a taxpayer-funded government bank to pay it interest. Banks do."

Kennedy noted that banks like these two are tagged by the federal government as too big to fail, meaning they can be bailed out by American taxpayers to they can stay afloat.

The banks' new policies, the lawmaker argued, are creating a massive rift.

"By playing politics and forcing policies that trample on the Second Amendment, Citigroup and Bank of America have established red banks and blue banks," wrote Kennedy, who then expressed concern of other banks following suit.